FLORAL BLANKET UNDERFOOT

Spreading plants to fill in garden look best as a mosaic of sizes, colors

Frankenia thymifolia, sea heath, is a little challenging to find but well worth the search. This short (about 6 inches) and wide (1 to 2 feet) native of northern African and Spain is sea spray tolerant. Its stubby, wiry branches are covered in soft, deep green needles that look almost like fur. In summer, tiny pink flowers appear. I visited a garden recently with a small “lawn” of Frankenia. I had to look twice to figure out what it was.

Oscularia deltoides, pink ice plant, is not what you think of as an ice plant. Its succulent “leaves” are three-dimensional pyramids (hence the species name “deltoides”) and icy blue-green, arranged along bright pink stems. The plants form 6-inch-tall by 3- or 4-foot-wide patches that, in spring, are covered in tiny, purple/rose flowers with yellow centers. Plant this Oscularia around the base of agaves and other larger plants. Or stick stems in and around the edge of a large pot, so they can cascade over the sides.